#84 Breathe
Breathe
WC: 401
Notes: idek what this is. I lost it tonight.
...
It’s only two years, but it feels so long. Two years without seeing him every day. Without walking into the practice room and hearing his loud, guffawing laughter echoing off the mirrored walls. Without grabbing his wrist and pulling him into the kitchen for dinner. Without staying up, long into the night, talking about dreams and fears and futures. Two years to spend without his second half. His best friend. His brother.
He catches sight of Jongwoon, not too far from him on the stage. They’re on intersecting paths and it’s so natural, so normal, to open his arms and envelope him. He smiles when Jongwoon’s arms move at the same time, opening and rotating exactly to fit opposite his own.
Ryeowook loves Jongwoon’s hugs. So warm and loving. He loves how Jongwoon knows exactly how to hug him, whether to squeeze him tight or to sneak up behind him and pass his hands over his stomach. He loves it best of all when Jongwoon hugs him as an equal. When he wraps one arm around his shoulders and the other around his waist. Neither asserting dominance by forcing Ryeowook’s arms around his neck, nor low around his waist. Jongwoon doesn’t treat him like a girl, like the others sometimes do, wrapping him up in a bear hug with his arms trapped against his chest, helpless and small.
He smiles when his arms come around Jongwoon. It's a blessing to have a second to breathe. To forget the concert for a couple seconds and find his ground again. His eyes slip closed and he takes in a deep breath, shoulders rising as his arms tighten even more. The deafening noise of the arena fades away as he saves his memory away. Surrounded by nothing but Jongwoon’s limbs, he lets the nervousness drain away. His nostrils fill with Jongwoon’s scent and he feels Jongwoon shift against him, the quietest of sighs escaping his lips. His eyes open and his lips stretch in a wide smile. He pats Jongwoon’s back harshly, silently urging him on. He soothes over the spot with a comforting rub and pulls away.
Jongwoon’s arms fall away, but Ryeowook can’t bring his arm away. It rests on the small of Jongwoon’s back. Jongwoon gives him a smile-a real smile, not the one he’d been forcing for weeks-and Ryeowook knows he can let go.
It’s only two years.